Frieda Harmsen, the well known South African art historian proclaimed that a pot shall be elevated to the realm of art if the potter creates it primarily for that reason. “It will then be judged as art and not as a well-designed household utensil.”
The British contemporary artist Grayson Perry mused that a ceramic artist has a range of techniques that they can draw from for inspiration. “You have everything that a painter has, but also most of the stuff a sculptor has, and then, all those very particular techniques and effects that you can only get with ceramics.”
Linn Ware (known earlier in its history as the Ceramic Studio),was an iconic South African pottery workshop that produced its most significant pieces during the middle of the 20th century. It managed to fuse art, functionality, superior craftsmanship and scientific vigour in its work. To date, art historians regard the studio as one of this country’s most influential moments in the development of local contemporary ceramics.
The studio’s predecessor, Transvaal Potteries, was established at the turn of the 19th century in Olifantsfontein on the outskirts of Pretoria. Its artists and artisans were caught between two conflicting Zeitgeists – the Industrial Revolution made functional household items more accessible than ever, but a movement of artisans and crafters, lead by artist and poet William Morris, railed against the aesthetic of mass production. “So long as the system of competition in the production and exchange of the means of life goes on, the degradation of the arts will go on; and if that system is to last forever, then art is doomed, and will surely die; that is to say, civilisation will die,” Morris declared.
Philosopher and art critic John Ruskin echoed Morris’ sentiment: “It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that’s all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.”
More than a century ago, artists were already grappling with the issues raised by industrialisation – a deterioration in quality and craftsmanship, predatory labour practices, and fast fashion and décor that were meant to last a season and be discarded, as the whims and tastes of consumers changed. While Britain’s middle classes were revelling in their improved circumstances, Morris and Ruskin were bemoaning the anonymous harshness of the industrialised world and the loss of traditional craftsmanship that it entailed.
The artists who worked at Linn Ware/Ceramic Studio were heavily influenced by the philosophies of Morris and Ruskin. There was also a strong influence from traditional Oriental ceramics and Linn Ware’s chemists attempted to recreate the delicate jade greens of the Chinese Song dynasty’s celadon pottery. They experimented with different formulations and one of their more famous glazes had an aquamarine-blue hue that seemed to ebb and flow like an aquatic tide. Other pieces have a simple elegance to them, similar to Japanese Agamo ware of the 17th century.
A new generation of collectors is now discovering the exquisite craftsmanship of Linn Ware. For many collectors, the pots are a visual Proustian moment, whisking them back to cherished family memories – gathering on a sunbaked veranda to enjoy a plate of Hertzoggies displayed on a circular, green-glazed dish, or admiring a shock of red roses artfully arranged in a seafoam green, amphora-shaped vase.
Linn Ware pieces often occupy pride of place at antique fairs and they perform extremely well on the secondary art market – the studio boasts a 97% sell rate at auction house Strauss & Co, and the pieces regularly outperform their reserve prices.
Over 40 lots of Linn Ware will be going on sale as part of Strauss & Co’s upcoming auction on 10 August 2021 at 1.00pm, including vases, bowls, jugs, plates of various sizes, beakers, tankards and cook ware. Among the top lots that are sure to appeal to collectors are an elegant, large blue-and-lime-glazed vase at estimates of R 8 000–10 000 and an exquisite flared bowl in the ceramic studio’s most characteristic green glaze at estimates of R 4 000–6 000. A set of 10 bread plates (R 3 000–5 000) or eleven dessert plates R 5 000– 7 000 in assorted coloured glazes would be a riot of joyful colour.at an eclectic dinner party and a set of six yellow-glazed breakfast cups and saucers (R 2 000–3 000) has the perfect retro chic for a summer patio brunch.
Do you have any Linn Ware pieces in your possession and would you like an art expert to assess their value? Strauss & Co offers a variety of appraisal methods to cater to their clients’ needs, free of charge, and with no obligation to consign an item for sale.
Visit the auction house’s website at www.straussart.co.za/sell for more information.
Notes:
J.A. Heymans. Pottebakkerswerk in Suid-Afrika Met Spesifieke Verwysing Na Die Werk Wat Tussen 1925 en 1952 by Olifantsfontein Gedoen is.
Universiteit van Pretoria, 1989
https://towerwateraandebreede.blogspot.com/: Discovering the story behind Linn Ware
RW Winter. The Arts and Crafts as a Social Movement Vol. 34, No. 2, Aspects of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America (1975),
Published by Princeton University Art Museum
